Quick thread - need advice - SALT at 3pm

[lougle]

DD2 had SALT assessment in June. result: General speech/language at/around average. Doesn't initiate conversation and didn't respond to non verbal cues, but school say she's ok, so it's not affecting her.
I complained by email, said concerns weren't with general language (I.e. she can name a girl if shown a picture, etc).

Now, SALT coming today to reassess and observe. She deals with SCD/ASD type stuff.

I've been invited to discuss her findings at 3pm (school finishes 3'30), so under 30 minutes to talk.

Can you lovelies think of all the areas I should highlight?

e.g. Mrs X, ELSA told DD2 she wouldn't see her today because she had a meeting. DD2 smiled with her tongue pushed behind her bottom lip, nodding as Mrs X was telling her. I know Mrs X would think she's fine with it. However, ar breakfast DD2 told me that she was only ok with going to school today because she has Mrs X this afternoon.

TIA

[lougle]

I can...I was thinking more of 'What themes do I need to highlight to illustrate my concerns of ASD a SCD.

I have so many examples that I could just come across as a neurotic idiot.

I thought if I could lay a trail showing how they fit into the ToI, then it might ring bells with her.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Has she had the CCC2?

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Same SALT as June?

[lougle]

No, not had CCC2, this is a different SALT.

Previous SALT has gone on maternity.

New SALT is actually DD1's SALT at SS and she is sometimes asked by DD1's and DD2's paed to give an opinion as to whether there is a SCD of some sort.

She said she's going to observe in class/see DD2, then I'll see her at 3pm to discuss 'my concerns'.

I have already told her that if she shows DD2 a picture of a fork, she'll say it's a fork.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

And she's a specialist in the things you think dd has some difficulties in?

Has she given an opinion before?

[autumnsmum]

I would definitely mention the lack of response to non verbal cues that is quite concerning

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

The CC2 is inexpensive to administer and the difficulties highlighted are often outside the expertise of a typical SALT, so there is sometimes reluctance, but you've seen it right?

I think you need to say you saw a friends and considered the answers you'd give for dd and think it would highlight her difficulties perfectly.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

BUT, always remember, right now this meeting might seem like the most important thing in the world and your only chance to get things in place that need to be, but it's really not.

You can always follow up with questions or clarifications or even request another meeting.

I'm going to get my ds' latest SALT report now and scan it for anything they might have put that you might want to raise. Not promising anything - hold on.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

You can say that because language is concrete in the early years it masks her atypical development (she should know that) but that because your dd has taken a different path to learning concepts and social skills she's going to fall apart when the curriculum gets more abstract because she has huge gaps in her learning and development.

You can say that her high intelligence levels means she is able to mask her difficulties.

You can say that her anxieties mean that she is so afraid of doing anything wrong that she puts all of her efforts into passing as normal and has become accomplished at this in an environment where she doesn't get enough 1:1 attention for it to be noticed by anyone.

[moosemama]

With ds1 things I highlighted of concern were:

Literality - he's not majorly/obviously literal, but eg when his TA wrote "Maths do maths homework in book - Tuesday" he had a huge meltdown because he insisted that it should be done in a text book (having been given a text book that day) and he had to do it on Tuesday night - whereas of course he needed to hand it in on Tuesday and do the work in his exercise book.

Lack of comprehension/processing unless specifically challenged, in a similar way to your dd too. I have had this out with ds1's school about this this week, because they keep saying they've popped in and asked how he was and he was fine or they've told him x will be happening and then when I speak to him he was anything but fine or has no clue x will be happening.

It is hard to articulate exactly what the problem is from your perspective. I know what you mean. Ds1 has slow processing too which kind of muddies the waters as well.

We were discharged after 5 minutes with the comm SALT - as they don't deal with SCD. He's now been assessed by the inhouse SALT at his school, they haven't told me the results as yet, but he's been allocated 2 SALT sessions a week so they must have picked something up I guess.

I have to go now, visitors just arrived. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[moosemama]

had to answer the phone and the door and everyone was much faster - and more helpful than me!

[lougle]

I think so, Star - I was told on the phone some time ago that the dept. had received my complaint, they were sorry it had taken time to 'find it' because of the fact that DD2 had been discharged, so no-one was expecting communication to the SALT, and the SALT was on maternity.

They said that two SALTS would come out 'one of whom is very experienced in social communication disorders.'

Then, a while later, the SALT who is coming today phoned - she's DD1's SALT, works with children at her school and the specialist preschools, etc.

She said that the Paed DD2 saw often asks her for advice/opinion on SCD concerns in children he sees.

[lougle]

Thank you, x-posts with you all.

The video I posted is classic: I suggest 'gymnastics' in a sentence. She goes wild - it's to tricky. So I suggest 'shop' instead, because it's easier, and she goes wild because it isn't true.

[lougle]

too*

[Handywoman]

supposed to be dashing out for a clinic but am about to PM you

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Attention and Listening

Egocentric interactions
Difficulty monitoring volume and rate of speech for the purpose of listener.
Requires language support to generate experiences that will give him the full range of emptions in order to learn the appropriate facial expressions.
Therapy to target teamwork delivered by a SALT trained in identifying quickly interventions required to repair errors.
Accepting outcomes not of his preference
Practice of being a team player in a game that does not motivate.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Language
Expressive and Receptive accurate when presented in small manageable chunks and when 1:1. Attending and focus impacts on ability to generalise concepts outside of classroom setting.
Limited ability given age to gain clues from pictures or infer information not obvious in a pictures.
Has ability to generate solutions to problems but unable to recognise whether solution is realistic i.e. if car broken down can get an aeroplane.
Anxiety apparent when asked to wait turn and escalated if someone gave the answer he was going to give.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Assessment

Age appropriate single word skills, less successful when organising into sentences. Can use Nouns and verbs functionally but requires more time to formulate sentences and specific modelling of more complex sentences which involve clauses or conjunctions.

Requirement to retain longer and more complex sentences is challenging so instructions must not exceed more than his ability to recall up to 8 words.

Huge difficulties in use of grammatical markers. Continues to struggle with pronouns accurately and independently and inability to generalise the little learned.

Can be successful with up to 2 information carrying words.

Lots of errors due to loss of attention.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Understanding of conversation partner's perspective impacts hugely on interactions.

With direct therapy has begun to ask peers about their interests but with hidden agenda that leads conversation around to his interest topic.

[lougle]

Thank you thank you thank you all.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

good luck.

Let us know how it goes.

[autumnsmum]

I could lend you mil in the last week she has apparently become a salt qualified to say dd2s latest report is rubbish seriously though good luck

[moondog]

It's not very difficult to point out where a child is having problems.

It's a lot more difficult to get someone who

1. knows what to do to address them
2. does something about them or makes sure that someone else does something about them in a way that is measurable.

Just saying.